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Zorn List Digest      Thursday, January 20 2000      Volume 02 : Number 837



In this issue:
-
       Re: winter & winter packaging
       Zorn's own lists
       Re: FMPweb: R.I.P.
       cure fans ?  / best of '99 - Ray Corvair Trio
       cure fans
       Re: cure fans ?  /
       Re: Don Cherry
       Re: Bill Laswell's Jazzonia
       Re: Bill Laswell's Jazzonia
       Re: Douglas's Charms
       Re: Douglas's Charms
       dave brubeck tribute
       Re: winter & winter packaging
       Re: Masada and Ornette
       Tim Berne - Quicksand

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 14:35:27 -0500
From: Dan Hewins <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: winter & winter packaging

I don't really like the functionality of the packaging.  I just got
the Uri Caine live Mahler 2 disc set and they don't even stay in at
all.  If the package is open they can just fall out.  There isn't
even the 'click' to keep them in there.  I know that one of my
friends just takes them out and puts them in jewel cases.

Dan Hewins

- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 16:14:08 EST
From: "Jeremy McClain" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Zorn's own lists

All these Best of lists reminded of a link that Zorn used to have on his
Tzadik website.  I think the last time that this link was around was almost
a year ago.  In it, Zorn would list some of the things he was listening to,
reading or watching at the moment.  These lists were renewed fairly
regularly.  When I first started buying Zorn albums, I got turned on to all
the different influenced that he lists on his liner notes.  Although I've
accepted the fact that he discontinued this list, I'm on a hunt to see if
anyone saved/archived these lists.

Thanks,

Jeremy
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 16:23:28 -0500 (EST)
From: Ken Waxman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: FMPweb: R.I.P.

Scott:

Save some of that (non-existent) money and I'll supply you with a clutch
of other free jazz classics that should be reissued. Let's see there's
stuff on Horo, Nessa, BYG, hatHut, Sackville etc. etc. etc.

Ken Waxman



On Wed, 19 Jan 2000, Scott Handley wrote:

>   And as soon as I win the Lotto, I will assist the already bloated reissue
> market by reviving the FMP catalog _en masse_.
>
> Don't hold your breath, though.


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 16:41:37 -0500
From: "Bob Kowalski" <[e-mail]>
Subject: cure fans ?  / best of '99 - Ray Corvair Trio

Cure fans amongst the zornsters?  Very cool (even if I haven't bought a=20
Cure record since Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me...)   Hmmm

On the 1999 favorite release side, I recommend everyone seek out a copy
or two (an extra to send to that special someone!) :
=20
The Ray Corvair Trio: You Think You're Going to Live Forever=20

- - seedy back alley noir instrumental delight  !
  (forgive the below shameless plugs - just spreadin' the good word)
- - pick up the disc @ http://www.cosmicrecords.com/html/main.html
- - see 'em at the Plough & Stars in Cambridge, MA Sunday evenings

happy listening !=20

Bob


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 18:19:49 -0400
From: "Neil H. Enet" <[e-mail]>
Subject: cure fans

I┤m surprised too with all the Cure fans in this list.  I have to admit that
although I don't own any records by The Cure, I do enjoy their music, and
I'm fan of other 80s "Pop" music like Depeche Mode, etc.
    Anyway, that's why I haven't done my 1999 lis, because I'm a new John
Zorn/Jazz/AvantGarde fan.  I actually got my first Zorn CD (Naked City) for
Xmas so you can see that my list will not include any Jazz/AvantGarde CDs,
but what the heck, I'll wait for next years's list!!!
    I was wondering if we could all send a list of Artists that are not
JAZZ/AVANTGARDE that each of us enjoy, and maybe learn more about everyone
in the list.
    Although I know that this is not a Zorn related topic, I hope it gets
through.

Thanks

Neil H. Enet
- ------------


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 23:28:16 +0100
From: "gschwend d. atelier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: cure fans ?  /

Bob Kowalski wrote:
>
> Cure fans amongst the zornsters?  Very cool (even if I haven't bought a
> Cure record since Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me...)   Hmmm
>

most definitely!
i still even want to be their drummer! especially since the guy they've
gotten after boris williams left in 1992, jason cooper, is absolutely
crap on drums! i still don't understand why he got the job!?

and no, i'm not 15 years old...

patRice

SORRY to anyone who thinks this is so zorn un-related it shouldn't have
been sent over the list!

- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 19:09:51 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Don Cherry

On this tip, I just thought y'all'd like to know that Complete Communion is
set for a 2/15 release date, according to the Tower Records database.

matt mitchell

- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 17:11:12 PST
From: "mr jason p berry" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Bill Laswell's Jazzonia

>>that it's complete bullshit, very much like the last dozen or so albums
>>laswell has released. lame, uninspired, & poorly played.
>
>
>If you feel that way, quit buying after three or four rather than buying a
>"dozen or so".  There's no point sacrificing so much money on artists you
>don't like...
>
who says i bought them? come on, now. don't lecture me.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 17:18:04 PST
From: "mr jason p berry" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Bill Laswell's Jazzonia

>Can you elaborate?  I mean, it's not as if your reply isn't explicit
>enough, I just would like to know what you're hearing.  I'm by no means
>an authority on Laswell, but the stuff I've heard seems to be pretty
>good, if not necessarily ground breaking.  Is Laswell's playing
>specifically poor, or is blame shared all the way around?

to me, the whole concept seems kinda dated, for one. i'm specifically
thinking of the big 'hip-hop/be-bop' thing that was too hyped some years
back, with digable planets & guru & all that. i can't honestly say that i
found a whole lotta that stuff worthwhile.
as far as the music itself goes, i found the beats plodding & overstated,
the vocalists over-dramatic in a whitney houston kinda way, & the whole
thing wrapped up in that thick gauzy laswell reverb soup. i like a lot of
laswell's stuff, but it seems to me that the guy is treading water a lot of
the time - if you try to put yer hand into so many albums, yer bound to drop
some stinkers. & don't get me started on his solo bass wank on tzadik.
just my opinion.

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com


- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 00:38:07 -0500
From: Steve Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Douglas's Charms

Scott Handley wrote:

> For those who don't yet know, Dave has signed a contract with RCA, if memory
> serves correct.

It does.

<DISCLAIMER>
Before I continue, let me remind all concerned that for the last 6 months I've
been gainfully employed as the paid mouthpiece for RCA Victor.  But my
background includes stints working for or with Koch International (U.S.
distributor of Tzadik and Avant among others), the Knitting Factory, Tim Berne /
Screwgun, Bobby Previte / Depth of Field, and various other indie concerns, so
bear anything I have to say in the light of another person (admittedly not an
artist) who's worked up from the indie field to a major.  Germane to this topic,
I've been loosely working with Dave for the last three years or so, helping
promote a few of his indie releases and gigs.  Certainly one of the foremost
things that led me to "sign with a major" was the fact that Dave was already
there.
</DISCLAIMER>

> He seems to defend the decision (vis a vis the freedom of
> recording for a half dozen small independent labels; that is, the freedom to
> put out four or five releases a year with five or six bands, plus unlimited
> sideman work) based on 1.) exposure, and 2.) it's not a terribly bad deal,
> with an assured minimum of 2 releases a year, plus acquiescence to reissues
> (such as the HatARt reisuue [?] of CONSTELLATIONS).

"Seems to defend..."?

All of what you mention, while essentially accurate, neglects the simple fact
that for the first time ever the average buyer in the average American city will
actually be able to find Dave's records in his/her local store - a big reason
that many indie artists sign with majors when they get the chance (this was
David S. Ware's primary rationale for signing with Columbia, for example).
Trust me, it means a lot for artists to see that their work will actually have a
chance to reach the masses who don't have cool stores nearby and aren't
confirmed web shoppers.  The web stands a chance to change this paradigm
ultimately, but it's not really as close to hand as we confirmed webheads might
wish.

The exposure is not a bad thing, either.  Often I've wondered if so many people
would know Tim Berne's work now if Columbia hadn't exposed him so widely in the
late '80s (I first became aware of Tim when 'Fulton Street Maul' was serviced to
my college newspaper around 1987, along with an Eddie Gomez album).  Granted, he
didn't sell so many more records.  But the very fact that he was on Columbia
made non-NYC journalists and indifferent editors sit up and take notice, and
that initial rush of exposure - in addition to his obvious artistic excellence -
has gone a long, long way to making certain that Tim never got forgotten by the
press during the JMT and Screwgun years.  Understand what I'm saying, please -
it's Tim's artistry that continues to make him important, but the exposure
afforded by his two Columbia releases 13 years ago has gone a long way to
spreading the word of his career amongst journalists of a certain age, and those
journalists in turn have assured Tim some modicum of access to the press during
his current return to D-I-Y.

But back to Dave: his deal, as I understand it, also allows him the possibility
to eventually produce other artists which he can present to the label.  This
could turn out to be a boon for more than just Dave, in other words.  Imagine
the possibilities and you begin to see why I love my job.  And "acquiescence" is
hardly the term for RCA's view of the reissue of earlier out-of-print releases.
If we're releasing and promoting his newest projects (I'm of course using the
corporate "we" here), why in the world would we be concerned with reissues?  And
of course on a personal level I want all of Dave's stuff available all of the
time.

> The first album is due
> (I think) next month, and it's a new sextet record, a tribute to the life
> and work of Mary Lou Williams.

It's due on February 8 and is titled 'Soul on Soul.'  Confusing the issue,
Arabesque's fourth and final Douglas release, 'Leap of Faith' (with the
Potter/Genus/Perowsky quartet) is also due in stores on February 8, postponed
from last September for rather obvious reasons.

'Soul on Soul' is being referred to as a sextet record, but it also marks a
passing of the sax/clarinet baton from Chris Speed to Greg Tardy - they appear
on the album on alternating cuts and both play together on one cut.  Also, for
no other reason than to piss off Patrice Roussell, there's a bonus track on the
Japanese issue.  ;-)  (Don't feel jealous - I don't have a copy, either.)

> The second record will be theatre music from
> the CHarms group.

Not theatre music but dance music, mostly written for the Trisha Brown Dance
Company and performed widely in late '99 and early this year.  Due out in
October - not next year, but this year.  Dave's third is scheduled for June of
2001.  The fourth one is not yet scheduled.  The collective corporate "we" are
happy to increase the rate at which we'd normally release records for someone as
varied and prolific as Dave.

>  Yippee!  The contract binds him for two years.  Perhaps
> after that we can have Old Dave back (says the record lecher in me).

The old Dave who makes 4-5 records a year that we, the annointed, can enjoy in
private while the vicissitudes of retail commerce deny him the possibility to
actually reach the larger audience he deserves?  In my opinion, that's why Dave
is the perennial winner of critics' polls as opposed to readers' polls, not to
mention the Talent Deserving Wider Recognition category in Down Beat (although
they've decided to kick him out of that category from this point onward...).
Certainly the music is worthy of reaching more ears.  But hey, back in high
school it pissed me off when pop radio embraced Rush, too:  I felt as if
something I in some way "owned" had been stolen from me by those who knew
nothing more than "Tom Sawyer"...

And hey, let's not forget that the major labels Columbia and Sony Classical
combined to release something like 47 Wynton Marsalis discs in 1999 alone.

> A jazz musician friend in NYC has mentioned that the Sextet has never once
> played a gig together with it's "original" configuration.  In fact, I've
> heard the upcoming Vanguard gigs will be the first time Joey's EVER made the
> gig.  Is this true?

I can't answer that last point (and since I haven't yet read all of the 200+
e-mails that stacked up while I was away last week, perhaps someone else already
has).  But, since Greg Tardy is going to be playing the Vanguard dates, I guess
it's safe to say that the "original" sextet still hasn't made a gig.

But back to my point: rather than resisting it when "our" artists move on from
indies to majors, I still prefer to see the occasion as something to cautiously
celebrate: for however long it lasts, someone like Dave Douglas (or Tim Berne or
John Zorn or Sonic Youth) will have a fair shake at cracking the firmly
entrenched media megalopolis that is the American press - and once he's been
there, he won't ever be completely ignored again.  While a contributor to Time
magazine recently told me quite bluntly that he couldn't imagine Dave getting a
feature in that magazine unless he suddenly embarked upon a spree of mass
murders, at least said contributor to Time magazine knew who the fuck Dave was
when I asked...

And that's a start.

Steve Smith
[e-mail]
NP - Peter Epstein, "The Leaf's Impression," 'The Invisible' (M-A Recordings)


- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 07:11:52 GMT
From: "Scott Handley" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Douglas's Charms

>"Seems to defend..."?

Seems. _syn._"appears".  Usually connotates categories contingent on further
information, incomplete knowledge, more than speculation but less than fact.
It would seem he'd _have_ to defend something with people like me saying...

> >  Yippee!  The contract binds him for two years.  Perhaps
> > after that we can have Old Dave back (says the record lecher in me).

But wait!  Steve to the rescue with a scathing

>The old Dave who makes 4-5 records a year that we, the annointed, can enjoy
>in
>private while the vicissitudes of retail commerce deny him the possibility
>to
>actually reach the larger audience he deserves? [snip]

<irony>
</irony>

There, I just wanted to make sure.  Let the indie kids have their club, and
let them sleep in vans.  I'm all for public access, as is most of this list,
who don't act like covetous Masons, or musical Morlocks promoting some kind
of arcane druidic cult hermetic.  My comments indicated, with subtextual
;->, that I like Dave, and I like LOTS of Dave.  Nothing more.  I have
plenty, and I'd like thousands of folks to buy his records.  I'm really
happy that RCA is taking the chance, and I'm also happy JAZZIZ is so much
damn better than it used to be.

BTW, thanks for the info, which is appreciated.

P.S.  I heard something from someone on-list about Dave wanting to spend
more time with electronics.  The only stuff I've heard previously is tell of
the insane shit he was doing with Han Bennink live, and of live lectronics
with a large ensemble in Europe (some workshop/festival).  Oh, and THOUGHTS
ABOUT MAHFOUZ; what happened to that?  One Roulette concert review, and it
sounded _great_. This is interesting; I'd like to know more.

</troll>
<lurk>

- -----s
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com


- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 19:39:59 +1100
From: "Julian" <[e-mail]>
Subject: dave brubeck tribute

Aquarius listed the following out on the 24th/25th of January. Does anyone
have any more info on this?

V/A "In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck" on Avant (w/ Uri
   Caine, Bill Frisell, MM&W, Eyvind Kang, The Ruins, Dave Douglas,
   Anthony Coleman, Joey Baron, Erik Friedlander, David Krakauer, &
   others)


- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 10:11:40 +0100 (MET)
From: Emmanouil Papagiannakis <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: winter & winter packaging

Thus far none of my W+W CDs has had any problem -and they're being played pretty
often. The only complain is that the Charms CD holding carton is a bit loose so
I have to be extra careful that the CD doesn't drop when I pick the case
(therefore I keep it in  plastic cover as well).

enjoy!

manolis


ps Dresser/ehlrich/cyrille today at the BIMhuis. Exciting. Any other BIM fellows
around here?


- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 11:25:49 EST
From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?"Mathieu_B=E9langer"?= <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Masada and Ornette

>Anyway, I understand that MASADA is compared to one Ornette Coleman
period.
>Which period is that and what records do you recommend?

I am a little late for this, but can I suggest the two volumes of
"Sound Museum" ?

Mathieu

- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 11:54:02 -0500
From: Dan Hewins <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tim Berne - Quicksand

I went to the Knit's Old office last night to check out Tim's new
group, Quicksand.  The group is a trio with Tom Rainey on drums and
Craig Taborn (?) on keyboards.  To begin, I'll say that it was
excellent.  I have not really heard much of Tim with a keyboard
before.  (Django Bates plays on a little bit of Caos Totale and Tim's
done a duo record with Marilyn Crispell.)  The keys were varied: from
a Rhodes sound to ethereal, reverberated sounds to pops and clicks.
They played two pieces, "Sketches of Pain" and an untitled
composition, perhaps called "Composure."  There was a DJ or something
playing directly above the Old Office in the Tap Bar and that annoyed
Tim, saying something like "Sometimes this club really gets to
you...I hope they're videotaping this."  However, the pounding DJ
sounds were soon abolished by Quicksand.  Sketches of Pain was about
50 minutes long, I'd say and it was fantastic.  It was somewhat of a
suite with characteristic Berne composed parts interspersed with
solo, duo, and trio improvisation.  There were a few parts that
really grooved and I noticed Tom Rainey lock in with Tim or Craig a
few times, which drew a smile to his otherwise stoic and concentrated
face...and mine.  The second piece, "Composure" was also very good
but a bit shorter, clocking in at about 20 minutes.  (Perhaps Tim
thought he had to keep his composure in light of the pounding drum
beats from upstairs.)  This tune had Tom and Craig locking and
communicating very well to produce great results.  I overheard Tim
say, "it was a blast" and Craig say, "rehearsal can't prepare one for
this..."  All in all it reminded me why I wanted to move to New
York...

Tonight is the debut of another new band at Tonic, Tim's Afternoon
Tea Band with Tony Malaby (sax), Eric Friedlander (cello), and Tom
Rainey.  Should be good.

Dan Hewins

- -

------------------------------

End of Zorn List Digest V2 #837
*******************************


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